My thought on every Texans 2012 draft pick

I’ll let you know right up front that I don’t do “draft grades.” It’s stupid. Seriously, how many of you were in school and had a teacher pass out tests to you with grades already in red marker on them before you even got to take the test? That never happened. Well, it probably happened at a few high schools and college where they were trying to keep guys eligible, but you know what I’m saying. I can’t “grade” this draft until I see these players play. Instead, I will give you my opinions on each player the Texans drafted.

Round 1 (pick 26) —Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
Z-Report Top 200: 20
Z-Report Says: Mercilus has a relatively narrow frame, but he he has the athleticism, quickness and motor that Wade Phillips is looking for out of the OLB position. One of the reasons the Texans were so good at rushing the passer last season is because their secondary effort was maybe the best in the league. When a Texans pass rusher didn’t clearly beat his man, the secondary effort was often good enough to get to the QB. Mercilus will bring that same type of effort throughout the play. He has played with his hand in the ground and standing up already. Illinois moved him around and used him in different ways which certainly helped the Texans during the evaluation process. Mercilus is good with his hands, but needs to learn how to keep offensive tackles from getting into him so isn’t engulfed. Overall, Mercilus is still a little raw as a pass rusher but has all the attributes you are looking for. Look for Mercilus to come into games as a situational pass rusher during the season similar to how the 49’ers used Aldon Smith.

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Round 3 (pick 68) —DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio State
Z-Report Top 200: 185
Z-Report Says: As you can see from my “Top 200” grade on Posey, I wasn’t all that crazy about this selection. However, I probably need to elaborate further. There wasn’t much game action for Posey this year after he was suspended for 10 games by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits. I will readily admit that Posey caught my eye on the second day of Senior Bowl practices thanks to his suddenness off the line of scrimmage and his precise change of direction. I liked Posey’s quickness, but the more I dug around on him with area scouts, the more I started to get negatives in terms of toughness (not a fan of going over the middle was their knock) and that he still has immaturity to work through. One area scout I spoke with about Posey on Sunday morning told me:

“Posey is not a bad kid at all, he just needs some time to grow up. He looked like a highly rated WR his sophomore year, but his immaturity side-tracked him. You love his speed and his size and we would have strongly considered him if he had made it to us in the 4th.”‘

With Posey’s quickness and long speed, he has a chance to be the WR2 of the Texans for years to come, but he’s going to have to grow up and handle himself in a professional manner now that he’s in the league.

Round 3 (pick 76) —Brandon Brooks, OG, Miami, OH
Z-Report Top 200: 79
Z-Report Says: Brandon Brooks first caught my eye at the East-West Shrine game where I saw him play with an exceptional amount of power. The thing that really confused me about this pick was that Brooks doesn’t fit the mold of the zone scheme guards we’ve seen in the past. At over 340 pounds, Brooks not only flashes outstanding power, but he also ran a sub 5.0 40 yard dash at his pro day and was brought in for individual workouts by both the Texans and the Chiefs (Chiefs looking to run more zone). Obviously, the Texans saw what they needed to in terms of his lateral movement at the individual workout. If Brooks can get to the second level effectively, he has a great shot at competing for a starting job at RG right away. While he’ll be the underdog, Brooks has the type of power that will really give the Texans an advantage with their gap running plays. Brooks has outstanding potential if he keeps his weight in check.

Round 4 (pick 99) —Ben Jones, C/G, GeorgiaZ-Report Top 200: 77 Z-Report Says: To be honest, my grade on Jones is probably too high as it was more of a function of the lack of centers in this draft. The more I watched of him, the more I felt like he looked more like a 4th rounder which is where he ended up going. Jones is a smart player who was a captain at Georgia. He works very hard, but when you compare his athleticism to Chris Myers, you see that he’s not really in the same league with Myers. Jones is capable of getting to the 2nd level in the zone scheme and he’s a decent pass protector. I’ve seen some commentary from the Texans that would lead me to believe that they think he can play guard as well, but my guess is that he’ll end up being primarily used as a backup center who can swing over to guard if need be. I don’t think he’ll be a starting guard for the Texans.

Round 4 (pick 121) —Keshawn Martin, WR, Michigan St.Z-Report Top 200: 113Z-Report Says: Love, love, love this pick. The game of football has become all about creating matchup problems and that is what Martin might finally provide the Houston Texans from the slot. Martin has good size and will immediately be the fastest WR on the team (Trin Holiday isn’t coming back again, is he?). What I really like about Keshawn Martin though is his ability to get into his routes quickly and with burst off the line of scrimmage. He can start and stop on a dime on command and could cause a lot of problems for nickel cornerbacks with average athleticism. Martin’s ability as a punt returner makes it unlikely that Jacoby Jones ever plays another down for the Texans, but Martin wasn’t very successful as a kick returner in college. The same scout I alluded to with Posey said this about Martin:

“He gives the Texans a chance to be really, really creative on offense it they choose. He can throw the ball on trick plays and he’s a terror on reverses. He’s got some dynamic ability as a punt returner, but keep an eye on his progress because his head could be swimming early on in the process during camp. He might not jump in and be a contributor as fast as you think, Lance.”

Round 4 (pick 126) —Jared Crick, DE/DT, NebraskaZ-Report Top 200: 96 Z-Report Says: I always felt like the talk about Crick being a 1st rounder headed into the 2011 season was a bit premature and a torn pectoral muscle that ended his 2011 after just 5 games was one of the reasons the Texans were able to get him in the fourth round. But as a 4th round pick – especially in Wade Phillips’ defense – Crick is a steal. Crick is a relentless worker who shows similar traits to those we saw from J.J. Watt when he was in college. The Texans need depth on the defensive line that fits their scheme and Crick certainly does just that. Crick’s strength is going to be his motor and ability to continue to outwork linemen in pass-rushing situations, but he has to get better against the run. Crick is a great addition in the 4th round and could potentially be groomed to take over for Antonio Smith down the road when Smith’s contract is up.

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Round 5 (pick 161) —Randy Bullock, K, Texas A&MZ-Report Top 200: — Z-Report Says: It may be hard for anyone to get too excited about drafting a kicker, but the fact is that Bullock was the top-rated kicker in this draft and the Texans are currently without a kicker. I, for one, have grown tired of the patch-work approach to special teams that the Texans have shown at times regarding kickers. I’m happy to see them draft and groom a kicker who could be with them for years to come. Off course the flip side of that coin is that many rookie kickers frequently struggle during their rookie year no matter how good they were in college and the Texans certainly won’t like it one bit if they are in the playoffs and have a game-winning kick that needs to be made by a rookie kicker whose confidence is shaken. Let’s hope Bullock maintains his confidence.

Round 6 (pick 195) —Nick Mondek, OT, PurdueZ-Report Top 200: — Z-Report Says: I could sit here and try and make something up for you about Mondek, but I didn’t even have a scouting report on him. I didn’t watch Purdue much during the draft process…. just their opponents. My Big-10 scout friend gave me some interesting info on Mondek though:

“Lance, he came over from the defensive side of the ball because I think the offense at Purdue was trying to find a way to get his size and athleticism on the field. He can run and jump and gets you excited from the standpoint of his physical tools. I’m sure the Texans look at him as a project who they are taking a late round shot with just in case something clicks, but I don’t think he can cut it on that side of the ball. But I would suggest to Wade Phillips that before they let that joker go, he might want to take a look at him as a 0-technique defensive tackle because I think he’s got a shot down the road at that position.”